Do you know that the Lord invites us as believers to integrate our temporal stories into God’s eternal story? We have this amazing opportunity to weave our testimonies into His eternal grand story.
We need a way to place our authentic stories inside God’s enduring story. Past, present, and future. That’s the frame we find in Revelation 1:19. And it’s not a suggestion but obedience.
How to Integrate Our Stories into God’s Eternal Story
Revelation 1:19 gives clear instructions: “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.”
Write what you’ve seen (the past), what’s now (the present), and what will take place later based on God’s promises (the future). That three-part structure keeps us from two common Christian mistakes: forgetting God’s faithfulness in the past or pretending the future doesn’t matter.
The fact is, we forget fast. Research on memory retention consistently shows we forget around 50% of new information within about an hour and roughly 70% within 24 hours (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve). So, when we don’t capture what God has done, it evaporates, not because God has changed, but because our attention has.
We have the amazing opportunity to weave our temporal stories into God’s eternal grand story. #trustGod #faith #testimony Share on XRemember to pin me for later!
The Command to Remember God
Throughout the Bible, God calls His people to remember – to remember His deeds, His law, His character, His miracles, His commandments. In the New Testament, Jesus establishes the Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, which is done in remembrance of His death and resurrection.
Through this command in Revelation, the Lord invites us to write and speak about things we have experienced with Him in the past (our past testimony), for our struggles and God’s working in our lives now (our present testimony), and for the future hope and things God has destined us for. In this way, we integrate our temporal experiences and stories with God’s eternal truths and promises.
Past testimony grounds us. Present testimony keeps us honest. Future testimony keeps us moving.
Our Threefold Testimony Is Spiritual Formation
When we put language to what God has done, it not only helps the listener or the reader. It reorganizes our own inner world. In one widely cited meta-analysis of expressive writing research, people who wrote about emotional experiences for about 15–20 minutes over 3–4 sessions showed measurable improvements in health and psychological outcomes.
This doesn’t mean that we equate journaling with sanctification. But words, and especially our testimonies, have power, and they shape us. Testimonies build up our faith and trust in God.
Writing or speaking about God’s work in our lives in the past, in the present, and about our expectations and hope for the future, based on Biblical prophecies, spurs our spiritual growth.
Sharing about God’s work in our lives past, present, and future, is a catalyst for our spiritual growth. #spiritualgrowth #faith #Biblestudy Share on X
Stories Grounded in Threefold Discipleship
The best stories of how God shows up in our lives are grounded in threefold discipleship. We find this principle in Revelation 1:3: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
The first pillar of discipleship, or following Jesus, is reading and studying God’s word. We are to read it, to memorize it, to read it aloud to other people, to share it, to study and interpret it. We need to feed on the Word; let it nourish and sustain our souls and spirits.
The second pillar is hearing the Word. Hearing God’s words is more than simply listening. It involves understanding and paying attention.
The third pillar is taking it to heart. Taking to heart means internalizing the truths in God’s truth and letting them renew our thinking. It also involves the willingness to obey them and the actual practice of God’s truths.
The Ezra Parallel
We find the same threefold principle of discipleship in the book of Ezra the scribe.
“For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10, NIV)
We can recognize all three pillars of discipleship: studying God’s word, observing God’s word, and teaching it. Here, the additional nuance is in the teaching. Ezra was a scribe prepared to teach God’s word.
Nevertheless, all believers are called to spread and teach God’s word in its fundamental truths and, most of all, to exhibit its truths by the lives we live and our testimonies.
Weaving Our Temporal Stories into the Eternal
In Revelation 1, we encounter God as “the one who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Revelation 1:4). He is present and covers the entire time continuum (past, present, future, and eternity).
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8, NIV)
“I am the First and the Last.” (Revelation 1:17, NIV)
As the absolute ruler of time, the Lord invites us to step out of the temporal and weave our stories into the eternal through our past and present testimonies and our faith in His promises and prophecies.
When we follow Him faithfully, as His disciples, our stories and testimonies can not only strengthen our faith and build up the church here on earth, but can also bring us glory and rewards in eternity.
Our stories can not only strengthen our faith and build up the church, but can also bring us glory and rewards in eternity. #testimony #encouragement #trustGod Share on XHow to Weave Our Stories of Suffering into God’s Story
If you want to learn more about how we can weave our stories of pain and suffering into God’s story and draw near to Him, my book,“Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings,” is for you. Let me take you on a journey through 13 painful experiences, showing the losses and the precious blessings in each of them.
More Encouragement for You
If you need more resources, encouragement, and help to experience God’s presence, I can highly recommend these books. Check them out.
Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk
The Night Is Normal by Dr. Alicia Britt Chole
Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life by Denise Dubois Pass and Michelle Nietert
Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst
Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley
Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge
All Things New by John Eldredge
Hope for the Hard Days by Sarah Geringer
Lean into Grace by Stacey Pardoe
This page contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. The commission I make from these items will help keep this blog going. Thank you!
Your Turn
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Thank you for sharing how to integrate our stories into God’s eternal story. It was helpful to learn about the threefold principle of discipleship as well as how everything from the past to the future weaves into His eternal grand story.
Thanks, Debbie! I am glad you found the post helpful and insightful. Blessings to you!
Thank you for this helpful post about how to integrate our stories into God’s eternal story. I appreciate your clear explanation of the three pillars of discipleship. My church is doing a group “read the Bible in a year” challenge, and as I devote more time to reading God’s word daily, it’s amazing how the right words come to mind in conversations so I can more effectively speak about matters of faith. I greatly appreciate your insights!
Thanks, Lisa! I am glad you found the post helpful and insightful! “Read the Bible in a year” challenge sounds great! It is wonderful that studying the Bible increases our capacity to share our faith.
It is so amazing the Lord invites us to reflect on our stories interwoven into His plans. Thank you for your post. It was a great reminder of His love for us and His engagement in our lives.
Thanks, Rosemerry! The Lord is truly so gracious, and His love is amazing. Blessings to you!
I have experienced healing over the past few years because other women have shared their stories with me! There is so much power in this! Thank you for sharing your story with us as well, friend!
Thanks so much, Stacey! Yes, sharing our stories and testimonies with others is powerful and brings healing and freedom. Blessings to you, friend!